How shall we use the text

How shall we use the text? Chapter 13 Amadeo

1. History and context are real and affect our thinking and our doing. Ethics will and must always be contextualized. We shouldn’t have needed post modernity to tell us this- it affirms our creaturlyness and we all are meant to be limited. Culture and its limits are good and are meant by God as a blessing.
2. Cultural study should be a major part of the ethical task. You need to understand the culture in order to relate to the people. As western Christians – Joseph Conrad, heart of darkness. Making people Christians as they are in their cultures. God intends more than the author would know but not contrary to what the author wrote. We do want to understand how to relate to people but not from marketing aspect. By understanding that and seeing other visions of human life from around the globe and other cultures
3. There are contexts of wider and narrower scopes. Being an American and not Norwegian makes certain things an issue for you. We are members of the human race- wider context that we share. De commonalities amongst all humans.
4. Determining what context? Which carries more weight.
5. Covenant theology is especially important because it gives us an outline to making sense of these different contexts. We live in a very different context than Jonathan Edwards. We need to speak out against ht problems of the times. 2 contexts- the old covenant and the new covenant. The time of the law the times of the gospel BC and AD. This is the most important difference for Christian ethical thinking.
6. As we are doing this it behooves us to look at the history of the church as a playbook. Not as a script but a guide where we can see good and bad ethical decision making, good and bad obedience and witness. The person who is most likely to make good ethical implications looks at how others went about it and did it. More open to the spirit casting light to areas of life and culture that need to be disrupted. They can imagine the world as something other than what it is. Historical theology is a major guide to reading the Bible and to doing ethics well.
There are certain ways the spirit works
The points we received in class above touch on certain hermeneutical ideas and understandings of how we use the text. Hayes looks at different proposals, judgments and metaphors.
Overall the church is the embodied metaphor.
The text takes a look at the role of Old Testament in New Testament ethics as well as the proposed guidelines for New Testament ethics to conclude the chapter.

Chapter 14- Violence in defense of justice
Hayes makes a point to say that rarely has the church looked at the churches role in war. I think it is important to look at the separation of church and state, which brings up the question as to what a Christian’s role is in defending justice. Is it God’s will for a Christian to engage in violence and exercise justice?
In the City of God Augustine makes the pint that Christians should take necessary roles in military service and police force work. The book makes a reference to the singer oozy Osborne and threats that were made against him in the name of Christian values, which begs the question, what values are being defended in that case.
Questions such as are it lawful for the Christian to kill the tyrant or lawful to wage war against abortion clinics can sometimes be seen as taken to far in our society but they are questions that are often asked.
One of the Key Texts is Matthew 5:38-48 which addresses the idea of Christian forgiveness and lack of revenge or retaliation. Hayes brings up the case that some people take things out of proportion or try to find out what hays really meant.
One interesting point was when the book pointed t the psalms and looked at David’s hatred for his enemies which was common in ancient times. Did Jesus take this a step further and say we should love our enemies in such a way that we do them no violence at all even if it means self-defense? I don’t believe this but lets press on.
What is the role of violence in a canonical context? How does God treat his enemies? Does he kill them or give his son to die for themI believe he gives his son to die for those he loves with grace and mercy and he absolutely kills his enemies. The work of Christ was for the elect but the judgment of God is for the unregenerate.
Chapter 15-Divorce and remarriage
Back in the day divorce was an unthinkable idea and the man was mainly protected all across the board. Even during the time of Moses they divorced and Jesus made reference to the hardness of heart. Now Christ revealed the heart and said in no way should there be divorce except for marital infidelity.
The chapter reads into a couple texts mark 10- Matthew 19. North In, which Jesus is against divorce making it clear that we are to love the spouse as Christ loved the church. It seems to point out that just as we undeserve of the love of Christ so sometimes our spouse is undeserving and we need to love them willfully.
Does Paul give further advice on his own authority in his letter to the Corinthians? Paul also makes the assumption that there will be unbelievers in the church that are married to unbelieving spouses. Paul councils the believer to stay married to a non-believer in a submissive role despite the fact that they may not be a believer.
What is the role of divorce and remarriage in the canonical context? This tends to play in with the hermeneutical appropriation section where it has been defined as absolute rule with no exceptions. In most cases this is not up for discussion which raise the question that is marry able that has been divorced? What role does a Christian play as a kinsman redeemer in the relationship and what about second chances in Christ? This statement was made before the cross so is it still valid for those who have true faith in Christ?
Homosexuality- Chapter 16
Taking a look at the texts it is obvious that the Bible makes the sin out to be unlawful as well as unnatural. The New Testament took the ideas from the old on issues of morality and sex. Homosexuals are a list of people who do things that are unacceptable to God on many levels according to Timothy. Wrongdoers are unable to inherit the kingdom of God.
Since these people have entered into Christ lordship they are to leave that practice behind. Despite these arguments the most crucial passage remains Romans 1. The idea that God gave them up to lusts have the flesh and all kinds of debased actions with one another. Humanity’s unrighteousness is a denial of God and a refusal to have him rule over us. It appears that idolatry debases both the idolater and the idol. Self-glorification ends in self-destruction when the sin becomes full blown.
Human lawlessness is an idea that God’s wrath and judgment are already at work in the world. This is just another judgment on the nation that is practicing these things and for the most part these nations always collapse being given over to these abominations.
I would disagree that homosexuals can be ordained ministers.
I’m not sure it takes much hermeneutic to see that homosexuality is a sin. There’s really no way to justify this other than a root of evil and a judgment on a nation.
Chapter 17- Anti Judaism and the ethnic conflict.
What was the role of the church in its relation to Israel? I would agree that today’s Christians have little idea at just how Jewish the first church was. The foundation is fundamental in the understanding of the New Testament and the argument is made that today we don’t have much emphasis on just how Jewish the first church was.
It is well known that early Christianity became to be as a sectarian movement, which is a miracle in itself. To think of the hostility that some Jewish people have today still towards Jesus it is amazing that these Jewish men where so sold out in their commitment to Christ.
The early Christians found new interpretations of the scripture in light of the death and resurrection of Christ. It must have been amazing to see the torah and the text in a whole new light as they read through. It must have been wonderful to see Jesus on every page of the text especially in areas like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53…things they actually lived out.
Paul had to make it clear that God has not rejected his people and there was still a plan. One of the things that amaze me is that this is still going on today. Its not as if we read this as a past story but these issues such as Gods work in Israel and Israel’s unbelief are still prevalent today in all areas of life. There is still anti sometime s there was in the days of Haman and the days of Adolph Hitler.
The gospel is to go out to all nations colors and they are to be baptized.

Chapter 18- Abortion
Christians in the United States are divided on the issue of abortion. This is a bitter dispute amongst Christian and non-Christians alike pro life and pro-choice proponents. The chapter opens with a story about friends that had an unplanned pregnancy and decided to abort a Down syndrome child.
Although the couple had an abortion he did not advise them to do so. There are some references to Old Testament passages regarding law, crime and miscarriage. Is the fetus formed into the image of a human being? Today the vast majority of Christians believe life begins at conception.
Why is the New Testament quite on the issue of abortion? I guess his point is that if a text is silent than there are no rules that apply.
4. Living the text- the church as a community of life. I guess it would be odd for anyone to say that it would be proper to hear a Christian speak of abortion. What if my daughter would have become pregnant illegitimately? There would defiantly be some real questions and I think we eyed to be careful before we point fingers at others. I will say that I am against abortion, believe it is infanticide and would like to take a role in stopping it or at the very least slowing it down.
I believe that children are made in God’s image and are human beings and even if they are Down syndrome or slow they have the right to life and the right to salvation. I believe they are closer to God than we think.